Tale of the phoenix
by kung fu kit
Summary: Xiao enters the 3rd tekken tournament, but is she strong enough to handle the challenges? COMEPLETELY REWRITTEN, R&R.
1. stowaway

Neko: hey everyone, just wanted to say thank you for even looking here. This fic is a total account of Ling's tekken 3..even though I AM a big fan of xiaoyin I have decided that I won't turn this fic into one. I hope you'll all enjoy this and don't just pass it off, please take a look first and I'd be grateful for any reviews.  
  
Jin: yeh it's not brilliant but it's adequate  
  
Neko: O_o....*growl*  
  
Disclaimer: Jin: *pushes neko forward.. *  
  
Neko: *grumbles* Fine, I don't own tekken or any of the characters from tekken. Happy?  
  
Jin: very ^_^  
  


ALSO NEW NOTE: this fic has been completely revamped. I read through and realised how atrocious this actually sounds sometimes. Xiao is very childish in a lot of the scenes and I wanted to give her a more mature persona. She cute she's sweet but she bites… so I hope you like what ive done to it, I've also added a bunch load of new scenes to create a sense of time… well enjoy!

*****

Xiaoyu lay back on her bed and closed her eyes. If only she could open them and see that it had all been a bad dream, just a nightmare that would vanish at the blink of an eye. Memories of the tournament flashed through Xiaoyu's mind. 

She opened her eyes and wiped away the tears rolling down her cheeks; she had to be strong, she would not be taken for a child! As she sat up she winced at the pain in her mid-section. 

'I can't take this anymore!' she cried mentally and drew up her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Curling her self up, she rocked herself back and forth, desperately seeking peace, seeking justification of all the hurt. All this pain and hurt, just because of a stupid ambition, a silly dream that could never have been fulfilled. Why had she not seen that before? Why? 

It had all started that day in Hong Kong. The annual Family trip; Her mother had promised to take her to the amusement parks there for her birthday. It was her life's ambition, to visit the best Amusement parks worldwide. She had turned sixteen only three months ago and still she hadn't been to Disneyland! Something she intended on correcting very soon. Visiting theme parks worldwide was an ambition that she was determined to see come true. OK so Hong Kong wasn't exactly world wide, but it was a start. 

Xiaoyu looked around at the shops and walked over to her mother. She frowned at the ice cream in her hand, it had started to melt and she didn't want to get it all over her favourite suit. They didn't often get western sweets or delicacies back home, so she was going to make the most of it. Stepping back to avoid a droplet of the cream, Xiaoyu surveyed her suit for stains. She was wearing a beautiful satin cheongsam style suit her mother had bought for her. It was a brilliant red, with comfortable baggy trousers and a short-cropped top with the traditional collar in Yellow. To finish, Xiaoyu wore a matching yellow sash tied in a beautiful bow around her waist.

As she went over to her mother, Xiaoyu licked the ice cream to stop it dripping.

"Ma, can I go to the arcades again? Please ma!" Xiaoyu pleaded.   

"Xiao, you've been so many times today, can't we go somewhere else? I heard there's a great boat ride by the docks." Her mother replied. Xiaoyu pouted, but faltered when she saw her mother's face, she looked so tired and tense. When she was younger her mother had been so energetic, a lot like Xiaoyu herself. But now she was past that, she just couldn't keep up anymore. Xiaoyu gave in.

"Alright, if you insist." Some of the tension relaxed from her mother's face and Xiaoyu felt happier all of a sudden. "Well then, lets go! We don't want to have to miss the ride now!" Xiaoyu said as she pulled her mother towards the bus.

"Hey! Doesn't look too bad actually!" Xiaoyu said as she surveyed the boat.

"Oh Xiao! We must wait for your father first, you know how he worries."

"Yes ma, don't worry about it. Speaking of which, here he comes." Xiaoyu jumped up and down waving at her father enthusiastically, as he made his way towards them through the bustling crowds. "Hi dad" Xiaoyu said, greeting her father with a hug.

"Xiao, you haven't been bothering your mother have you?"

"Me? Would I do such a thing?" Xiaoyu said innocently.

"Ah! Look if we don't hurry we won't get tickets! Come!" Xiaoyu's mother said quickly with a smile.

As they made their way to the ticket booth, Xiaoyu spotted a large ship at the dock. It was a truly magnificent vessel. It had a logo on the side of the boat. Where had she seen that logo before? Master Wang had told her about it, but she just couldn't remember! Mi… mi…misu? No that's wasn't right, mishu? No…Mishima!!! Yeah that was it. The logo was that of the Mishima Zaibatsu. Apparently one of the richest conglomerates in the world, run by a man called Heihachi Mishima. Funnily enough Xiaoyu had never heard of it till Master Wang had told her about it. A thought suddenly came to her mind, if this Heihachi was SO rich, what exactly could he afford? Maybe…. maybe if she could get onto that ship…

"Xiao … Xiao!! Are you listening to me? XIAOYU!"

"wha…? What ma? Oh!! Sorry!" Xiaoyu looked at her mother sheepishly.

"Well? Are you coming or not?"

"Huh, errrr actually why don't you and dad go ahead and I'll catch up with you later!"

"Absolutely not! Xiao you're scheming, I know that look!"

"Ma! I am not! I just want to check out the town that's all!"

"Xiao, no. If you get lost…"

"I won't get lost!"

"You're staying with us and that's final" Xiaoyu's mother replied abruptly as she pulled Xiaoyu along towards the boat ride. Ling thought to herself, she had her essential things; money, clothes and her beloved teddy bear all packed in her backpack. If she could just get away…

'No' she thought to herself, her parents would get worried, but then this was a chance of a lifetime! No way would she ever get this kind of opportunity again. She made her final decision. Pulling her arm away from her mother, Xiaoyu ran as fast as her legs would carry her towards the ship. She gripped her backpack, and ran ignoring her parent's cries ordering her to return. She knew they would chase her but she was too fast. Her bright yellow sash whipping behind her as she ran, Ling ran almost gliding across the streets towards the ship. When she stopped she looked behind her, to find that she was not being followed. She must have lost them in the crowds. She shrugged the thought off and walked up toward the ship, although guilt often tugged at her heart.

To her dismay she saw that ship was guarded. But that was no problem, Xiaoyu looked around and saw a small half wrecked little boat near the elaborate ship. She walked to it making herself look as inconspicuous as possible. Climbing into the little boat she paddled the boat with a battered oar around the side of the ship. Luckily she found a rope ladder. Although it was in poor condition, it looked as if it could hold Xiaoyu's weight. She pulled herself up to the edge of the deck and swung her body over. She landed lightly and moved cautiously to see if there were any security guards lurking around. When she saw that the coast was clear she relaxed and surveyed her surroundings.

Xiaoyu was impressed; the ship was better than any first class cruise ship she had ever seen. What would it be like to live like this? This luxury? Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted by a loud humming sound accompanied by the voices of people boarding the ship. The voices got nearer until they were loud enough for Xiaoyu to hear clearly. 

'Oh great, here we go.' She thought grimly and braced herself. Xiaoyu looked around for a place to hide and saw a staircase. If she could get behind it she could stay there unnoticed. That was until she saw Heihachi Mishima himself and was finally presented with an opportunity to confront him. When it seemed that everyone was on board the ship began to move. The voices accompanied by their owners came nearer; Xiaoyu cringed back into the tiny space she was hiding in to keep from being discovered. No one came past Xiaoyu's hiding place where she lay nestled under the stairs. Where she waited…silently.

After what seemed like hours, four of the security guards came onto the deck on which Xiaoyu was hiding. They didn't seem to notice her, at first. Her undone sash trailing out from behind the stairs didn't seem to bother them either. But when Xiaoyu had finally noticed it, it was too late, one of the security guards had already spotted her. Deciding there was no point in hiding any longer, Xiaoyu climbed out of her hiding space. 

"HEY! You kid! What the hell are you doing here?"  Xiaoyu stood up looking slightly annoyed, she didn't fully understand what he was saying but she knew it wasn't entirely polite. It was a good thing master Wang had taught her a little bit of Nihongo. She ignored them and started to do her sash up again.  "Hey kid, didn't you hear me??? Are you deaf? What are you doing?" he shouted again.

"Heh, I don't think she understands you man." The second man said in mocking tones. Xiaoyu looked up at the man and smiled.

"Hey I think she LIKES you," the third said as they all broke out into laughter. They weren't doing their jobs very well and now they were laughing at her. Xiaoyu's attention snapped into place; She broke out into a run with a scowl pasted on her face. Catching the men off guard, she ran as fast as she could towards the man who had made the last comment. She extended her elbow in front of her body pushing with all her might; she knocked the man to the floor. Leaving the remaining guards speechless, she began her assault. She hopped over to the second guard kicked him squarely in the face, he staggered backward. Quickly recovering he made a grab for her, but Xiaoyu was too fast, she evaded and tumbled to his left quickly slamming two palms onto his head; He fell instantly. The guard's comrades looked at Xiaoyu, horrified, but still made advances towards her. 

"I want talk to Mr Mishima, I don't have time for these games. Where is he?" she said in the little Japanese she knew.

"You don't have any business here kid, now don't make a mess and just come here calmly before you get hurt!" one of the guards replied nastily. Xiaoyu narrowed her eyes at him.

"Fine, have it your way." She muttered to herself in her own tongue.

She looked at them all then jumped onto a table nearby. She waited till they approached within an arm's length of the table and then launched her body into a full backward layout landing behind one of the guards with her back turned. With that she jumped towards him, still with her back turned and performed a backward kick sending the guard flailing arms and legs through the air. She wasted no time though; she faced another of the guards and struck him with her palm in his midsection with amazing strength. For a while Xiaoyu remained in her stance, the storming flower. The final guard that remained looked at Xiaoyu, horrified, as she smiled viciously at him. She was about to attack when a booming voice interrupted.

"What on earth is going on here?" the voice belonged to man who looked in his seventies at the most. His hair was almost non-existent apart from two peaks at the sides of his head. He was dressed in a smart plum jacket and white trousers.

_For an old man, he looks like he's in good shape_, Xiaoyu thought absently. 

"Well? Would you like to explain?" the man demanded of the remaining bodyguard while surveying the carnage distastefully. The guard was clearly shocked at what had just happened and frightened of this man. 

" Mi…Mishima-sama, this girl, we found her hiding in the ship, and she insisted that she see you. And then she…"

"That's enough! You're pathetic. You allow yourself to be beaten by a child!!!" Xiaoyu looked at the man, shocked. This was Heihachi Mishima? Well it wouldn't be too hard to beat him then. She paused in her thoughts and sighed mentally. What was she thinking? Master Wang was old but there was no way she'd be able to beat him. 

Heihachi looked at Xiaoyu in a slightly amused manner and spoke lightly.

"So child, what is it that you so desperately seek from me that has caused you to cause such a wreck." Xiaoyu hesitated at first, trying desperately to figure out how to speak to him without looking like a fool. Finally she replied.

"First of all I'm _not_ a child! And what I want is your help. I'm warning you old man, this is no request." She said calmly, and dangerously. Unfortunately the effect she was aiming fro didn't work out so well with her difficulty with the foreign language. Realising her inability to speak fluently in Japanese, Heihachi laughed and spoke in flawless Cantonese.

"Child what possibly makes you think that you can force me into whatever it is that you want? Eh?" Xiaoyu gave a mental sigh, being able to understand she spoke this time with full confidence in Cantonese.

"Well if you want to end up like all your so called 'security guards' here, then I'd be happy to oblige." Heihachi looked at Xiaoyu, and grinned viciously. She had a lot of guts carrying out this mindless plan; he liked it and decided to listen to her further.

"Well what is it that you wish me to aid you in child?" Xiaoyu hesitated, how could she get this out without sounding… well stupid?

"I want you to build me my own amusement park. And _stop_ calling me _child_!" there she had said it. Heihachi, looked at Xiaoyu, shocked. This girl was well and truly out of her mind. But then he noticed the unconscious guards on the floor. She had taken out the best of his guards in a matter of minutes without breaking a sweat. For a girl of her age that was remarkable. Could she? Maybe. She looked like a worthy participant for the Iron Fist tournament.

Xiaoyu was beginning grow restless.

"I will build you your park…" Xiaoyu looked confused; she had not expected to get what she had asked for so easily. It had been incredibly far-fetched and impulsive. And yet it was happening.

"You will?" she asked awkwardly.

"On one condition" he continued. Xiaoyu's spirits fell, she knew there had to be a catch. "I will build you your park, on the condition that you participate in the Iron Fist Tournament that I am holding… _and_ emerge victorious, then the park is yours."

"Ah wait, what's an Iron Fist tournament?" Xiaoyu had vague memory of an Iron Fist tournament. Something master Wang had participated in.

"It is a martial art competition, as you seem more than able to fight, I think this is the perfect opportunity to prove how much this park means to you." How hard could that be? Xiaoyu had entered many tournaments and come first place. This would be a piece of cake. "Well? Do you accept?"

Xiaoyu straightened herself out and replied, "Done, I win then I get the park!" Xiaoyu said to herself enthusiastically. 

"Your parents. I take it that they know nothing of this little venture of yours. You will have to stay under my care during the tournament, as you're obviously a minor. I will have your family informed of your whereabouts."  He spoke absently. Xiaoyu looked at Heihachi, shocked, but then convinced herself that it was for the best. Xiaoyu's guilt washed back over her. Her parents were probably worried sick. She felt bad, but the chance wasn't a common one. He motioned for her to follow him and she walked behind him, tripping over the still unconscious guards. She snickered at the chaos she had caused and followed Heihachi into the luxurious ship holding her head up in pride


	2. to hush the waves

It had been three days since Xiaoyu had crept on board the Mishima Zaibatsu vessel, and even though they had not stopped sailing for three days straight Xiaoyu never tired of the ship. Heihachi was surprisingly nice to her even though she had been rather rude at their introduction. He had provided her with her own room in the ship and spare clothes. Essentials and even luxuries had been provided for her with a simple request. 

On the third night she lay on her bed, looking up at the dimly lit ceiling. Her mind was rushing, less than a week ago her ambitions had been no more than dreams, nothing substantial. But now they were solid and she had only but to reach to grasp them; and she swore she would with a firm grip and with both hands. A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. She got up and answered the door. Heihachi stood at the door; his huge masculine body almost filled the frame of the door. 

"I trust you found everything to your comfort?" he mused. She turned back to her bed and nodded politely. "Good, you will need to gather your things together; we leave for Japan in the morning."

"Hai Mishima-Sama." She said and bowed. 

"You should have an average of three months of preparation before the tournament begins and plenty of time to settle into school there. 

"School?" Xiaoyu asked with disappointment.

"Your parents have requested that you continue your schooling here for the duration of your stay here. It is for your best interest of course." He continued. School was a definite dampener on her hopes. Xiaoyu resisted the urge to yell and pound the floor in childish instinct and nodded reluctantly.

"One thing though, is it really for the best? I mean my Nihongo isn't very good and I, well I won't fit in so well." 

"You'll fit in fine and I will have my grandson tutor you personally in language skills, he is more than adept." Great, judging by Heihachi's age and attitude, his grandson was probably ten years her senior and a boring old fool too. Well she had no say in the matter; if she was going to school she was going no matter what. After bidding her goodnight he left to make preparations and left her to pack her things for the journey.  

*

They left early the next morning and Xiaoyu was incredibly excited. Not even the dullest parts of the journey could weaken her spirits. She was hyperactive all the way there. The flight was comfortable and the in flight entertainment was more than enough to keep her occupied. They landed shortly after the third hour on the flight had passed and they drove straight to the Mishima residence. But not even her lack of sleep could have held her back from the excitement of staying at the mansion. As soon as the limousine passed through the grand gates she was bouncing in her seat anxiously. It was magnificent! The grounds were so vast and so beautiful under the moonlight. She couldn't wait to see the inside of the elaborate mansion. When she entered it was even better, each and every luxurious room was better than the last. 

"I think it's time you got some rest." Heihachi announced after showing her the remainder of the ground floor which in itself had taken two hours to appreciate fully. Xiaoyu was lead to a room, which had been prepared prior to her arrival at the mansion, and she was not disappointed at what she found. When she pushed aside the sliding door she found that the room was incredibly spacious, more than three times the largest room at her own home. Even the futon placed along the back wall looked beautifully inviting. She went straight to it and changed into her nightwear speedily before collapsing onto it. It was no wonder, that after the whole day's events, she fell asleep as soon her head touched the pillow.  

***

Xiao woke up late the next morning feeling revived and refreshed after a good nights sleep. She showered and dressed promptly as her stomach grumbled relentlessly. She made her way down to the dining room and opened the door to find Heihachi sat at a table, his head buried in a large broadsheet newspaper. He lowered it slightly as she entered the room and nodded to a place opposite him at the table. She mumbled a greeting and took a look at the table; there was a large buffet breakfast spread across the table. Xiao sat down and helped herself to the food; as Heihachi had indicated that she do so. She ate a little and her thoughts wondered to home. It was weird eating breakfast here. There was much more food and of much more variety. But breakfast had always been a lively event where she'd chat constantly with her parents. Sometimes if her mother had made something she hadn't liked she'd pass it down to Panda. Oh Panda! How she missed her. There wasn't any food Panda didn't like. She sighed and leaned her cheek in her palm. Heihachi peered over his paper at Xiao and raised a brow. 

"Aren't you hungry? Or does the food not suit your liking." He chided. Xiao shook her head and continued to eat. As she ate she felt something brush against her leg. She sat frozen in shock. She looked under the table to see a large brown bear by her feet. For a moment she thought she was going mad. All the thinking of Panda was making her see bears!!! But when Heihachi spoke out she just stared at the bear in shock.

"Oh I'm sorry I forgot to mention my pet bear there. That's Kuma." Heihachi said almost absently. Xiao smiled and scratched Kuma's ears lightly. He growled appreciatively. 

She finished her meal and looked down at her plate and then back up at Heihachi, who was engrossed in his paper. He looked up from his paper once again and sighed before putting it down.

"You look rather disturbed Ling-chan, is anything the matter?"

"Hmm? No, I was just thinking. I miss my pet. Your own bear reminded me of her" she smiled.

"Kuma? How does my bear remind you of your pet?" Heihachi asked, failing to see the relevance of a household pet and a bear of Kuma's size.

"My pet is a Panda. I take care of her for my school, she really is amazing." Xiao said happily. 

"Really?" he asked. "Interesting." He mused and looked at her thoughtfully. "If you like Ling-chan we can have her brought over. Kuma here is trained as a bodyguard. I can offer the same training for your Panda." The offer was generous, and Xiao really couldn't think of a better way to brighten things up around here. The training didn't seem like a bad idea for Panda. She gave Heihachi an appreciative smile and nodded enthusiastically.

"That would be wonderful Mishima-Sama. I'd like that very much!" she said. Genuinely thankful Xiao got up and bowed politely.

"Very well, I will make the arrangements. Now, since you don't have anything planned, why don't you go make yourself more familiar with grounds?" He suggested. Xiao bowed again and left to explore the grounds. 

*

Xiao made her way around the mansion winding in and out of the corridors. When finally she found herself outside the mansion she looked around at the smaller buildings beside the larger one. There was one fair sized building right beside the mansion and she could hear some noise coming from it. She recognised the writing above the doorway of the building and identified it as the Mishima Dojo. Without thinking she started towards it, pulled open the door and wandered in. 

The noise was coming from further in and when Xiao reached the heart of the Dojo she peeked into the room to see many young men carrying out a series of moves consecutively. They all looked very good moving in perfect synchronisation. However, one of them stood out from the rest. He seemed rather preoccupied in his training, unlike the others who seemed to be doing the moves out of necessity. Xiao stared at him in awe. His techniques, flexibility and strength, they were just amazing. He looked only a few years older than Xiao, maybe three or four. Xiao had seen many good fighters back in her own martial arts school, and anyone with a build like his was usually quite slow. He on the other hand was incredibly speedy in his movements. He executed them with precision and speed. He was incredibly good looking too. His ebony hair was spiky and his bangs fell messily into his eyes. He had a beautifully muscular body, lithe and agile. Xiao blushed inwardly as she realised she was staring open mouthed and quickly clamped her jaws together. As the class completed their katas, most of the group dispersed to linger near the sides of the dojo, some chatted with others, some grabbed water bottles and drank thirstily. But the boy, unlike the rest stayed where he was and straightened up slowly. Cocking his head he glanced over to where Xiao was standing and raised a brow inquisitively. 

Xiao suppressed a yelp of surprise and darted behind the door. Deciding it was best not to disturb the class she retreated back to the mansion to wander some more. It was but an hour later when she was intercepted by one of the house staff and informed that she was to have her first language tuition. She grumbled to herself annoyed and went up to her room to get ready. When she was done she went downstairs to the ground floor study and waited until her tutor arrived. It was a nice room, but something about it reminded Xiao of psychiatrist's studies that they showed in movies. She shrugged the thought off and settled in a leather armchair comfortably.

She waited for twenty minutes and still no sign of her tutor. 

Another ten-minute wait…

Finally the door opened to reveal her tutor, 

none other than the spiky haired boy from the Dojo.


	3. Dark angel

Xiao was even more shocked as she realised that _this _was Heihachi's grandson. Well the looks had most definitely _not_ come from Heihachi. She stood and watched as he closed the door behind him.

He looked slightly flustered and he was not wearing the traditional Gi he had at the dojo. Well _Duh_. She thought to herself. Why the hell would he wear his Gi everywhere? Now he was clad in a smart white shirt and a pair of black trousers. He nodded to her politely and approached her, almost towering above her. She stood rooted to the spot unable to speak when he bowed shortly. She shook herself mentally and mimicked the gesture. 

"Ohayo gozaimasu, my name is Kazama Jin, you must be Ling," he said. His voice was deep but inviting. He seemed like an alright person. His eyes however looked odd. Xiao got the odd impression that he didn't speak much. He was clinical as he spoke and oddly distracted.

"Ah, hai, hajime mashite Kazama-san…I thought you were a Mishima?" she said finally shaking herself back to the moment.

"Erm no, I take my mother's name, long story." He shrugged.

"Hai." She said awkwardly and struggled to think of what else she knew she could say. He smiled warmly and sat down. She swore in her own tongue and cursed at her lack of knowledge of Japanese. 

"Would you find it more comfortable if I spoke in Mandarin?" he retaliated in her tongue with a smile. She was once again shocked to find that he also could speak Mandarin. 

"How do…??? Your grandfather right?" she said only just realising that he probably knew many different languages; with a rich family like his, it was only to be expected that he'd be richly cultured. 

"No, my mother taught me when I was a child. She spent a long time of her childhood in China." He said and pulled out a number of papers and books from his bag. "I can see that you already know how to greet people so we'll expand on that for now…" Xiao smiled and listened intently as he continued to talk. This was going to be _interesting_.

***

Lucky for Jin, Xiao was a quick learner and by the end of the evening she'd gotten through greetings, introductions and general conversation.

"You're a very good learner Ling-chan." He said genuinely and closed his book. "I also think it'd be better if we used Nihongo while talking in public. It'll help you get to grips with your conversation. Is that alright with you?" he asked. She nodded. "But for now while you're still learning, you can speak with me in Mandarin, just until you know enough." He said. She smiled gratefully.    

"So are you entering this tournament thing too?" she asked relaxing a little. He snapped his head up in shock and looked at her worriedly.

"You're entering the tournament?"

"Er, yes. Didn't you know?" she said hesitantly.

"No, I was told of your arrival yesterday, not why you were here. Are you serious about this?" he asked. 

"Yes." She assured. 

"It's tough you know." He warned.

"So am I." She retaliated through her teeth. If there was one thing that got her, it was people assuming she couldn't cope. "Size matters in more ways than the obvious _one_." She said. Jin shook his head and backed away.

"It's your choice I suppose, and I shouldn't judge you." he said respectfully. She appreciated that. Not many people would have given her the credit. 

"So Kazama-san, what do you do in your spare time?" she asked curiously and partially to change the subject. He shrugged and leaned back in his chair.

"I study mostly, train occasionally." He said. Xiao stared blankly and watched him with an unimpressed expression. "What?" he asked. "Alright fine!" he surrendered under her piercing stare. "I don't know, I like to take walks." He supplied.  "Mostly down by the forest paths." He said. "They don't compare to the Yakushima paths though." He noted absently. "I enjoy philosophy and simulative discussions and debates. I also love to read." He finished. "Happy?" he asked.

"You're an _interesting_ person." She said mildly and looked up at him as if he were a slug. He raised a brow inquisitively and stared. She laughed and shook her head. "Just kidding. You're intellectual." She said firmly. "As to be expected, seeing as you grew up in _this_ place."

"Actually I didn't…" 

"Oh, well then do you do anything that counts as _normal _then Kazama?" she asked and leaned forward inquisitively. 

"What does your idea of _normal_ consist of Ling?" he said equally and mimicked her actions. 

"Something that doesn't involve thinking…" she laughed. 

At first impression, Jin had seemed like an all work no play kind of guy, serious and hard working. But as they chatted through the day Xiao found he was quite inviting and though he never would have admitted it, he was very glad of her company. 


	4. Tongue tied and Twisted guts

Ok, so if you have read this fic previously, then you'll notice that I've changed it (say so on the summary) I re-written it for many reasons one being I like it better this way. I'll post up more soon, but till then…. Reviews are lovely ^^ thank you

Disclaimer: don't own tekken.

**

Xiao pulled her pillow over her head as the alarm on the small table beside her futon blared in her ear. She got up grudgingly and washed up. By her dresser was a uniform that looked suspiciously _sailor-ish_. It was cute though. Xiao pulled on the plaid pleated skirt and a short sleeved white shirt with it. Yep the shirt was very sailor-ish. She twisted her neck to look at a logo embroidered on the sleeve; Mishima polytechnic… she shrugged and pulled on the grey vest that remained. Dangling off the hanger was a long blue ribbon, which she tied under the shirt collars into a large bow and then stood to survey herself in the mirror. 

'Not bad' she thought and twirled. But something was missing. Her hair lay limp on her shoulders, a chocolate mass. She parted it on the side and combed it through neatly. Smiling at her reflection she stood straight and nodded. 'Much better.' She grabbed the socks by her brown school shoes and frowned. Absurdly long socks they were indeed, but she pulled them on anyway. They _actually _reached up to her knees… and they were doubled up! 'They look kind of cute none the less' she grinned at herself and bounced slightly. Slipping on her new shoes she grabbed her school bag and almost ran out of her room. She wanted a good breakfast before she faced her first day…

***

"Now Ling-chan, you're expected to work hard and well in your classes. Jin will show you around the campus…"

"Kazama-san attends the school also?" she asked.

 "Yes." Heihachi replied shortly. "As I was saying, he'll show you around. You will be required to be at the school gates at 5.00 everyday after school. There you will be picked up and brought back here. If you have any plans after school notify the staff in the morning or in advance and they'll arrange to pick you up from wherever you need." He said. Xiao was impressed, not only was she being escorted to school but she practically had her own taxi service… Xiao grinned at her brilliant luck "_However_, I do expect you to be responsible and stick to the curfew of 10.00 unless on special occasions. You must be home before this time." He said. Xiao nodded, it was reasonable enough and it wasn't like she had anywhere to be out that late anyway, _yet_. 

"Well then I won't keep you any longer, have a good day at school." He said and dismissed her. Xiao left the room and closed the door with a sigh. This was going to be interesting. She exited the building and walked up to the black car parked in the drive. A gentleman in a dark suit opened the door for and she clambered in. Xiao smiled and greeted Jin who sat by the opposite window. He nodded politely in return as the car begun to move. Jin was silent throughout the entire journey. She rubbed her arms as her skin broke out in gooseflesh. Jin's silence wasn't making her feel any better. 

"Nervous?" he asked politely. 

"Ya think?" she retorted, her expression a bleak frown. 

"It's not so bad, you'll manage."

"You're talking to a non native speaker here." 

"You've been doing fine in your lessons over the past week, you know enough to get by so far." He reassured her. That eased the knot in Xiao's stomach momentarily, but as they pulled up by an enormous building she could feel it tighten even harder. "I'll come with you to the office and help you find your way around this morning. If you meet me at lunch I'll show you around." He said.

"Thank you." She said and got out of the car. As they walked up towards the entrance, Xiao noticed people staring her way and she cringed behind Jin nervously. Even when they walked down the corridors, eyes turned their way. It wasn't as if the world stopped and everyone dropped what they were doing to look at them, but it sure felt that way. The noise of the crowds drowned out in Xiao's mind and she could just see the eyes everywhere. They collected Xiao's things from the reception and Jin showed her briefly to her Homeroom. 

"Meet me at the entrance at lunch, I'll show you around from there." He said curtly. Xiao noticed the way he spoke, it wasn't the same way as when they were at home, and he was different, more rigid than he usually was. The same as when they'd first met… clinical. Xiao couldn't dwell on the thought because when she walked in, all the things she had thought were happening in the corridors took place now. The buzzing room went silent and everyone looked at Xiao suspiciously. She walked in slowly, keeping her head down and looked for an empty place. She scanned the room and found one… 

_Great, _she thought to herself. _Absolutely fucking awesome_ she'd found a place right at the front of the class. She settled down despite herself and fidgeted nervously as the room slowly picked up the noise again. Xiao almost jumped when someone leaned in and whispered in her ear.

"Hey are you new?" Xiao turned her head to come face to face with a bright faced girl. Her hair was dyed an odd light mahogany colour and it flicked out and away from her face. She smiled in a friendly manner and then frowned. "Sorry, that's a bit of a stupid question course you must be new. I'm Hirano Miharu." She said and nodded her head in a quick informal bow. Xiao, still dazed looked back and stuttered in her nervous Japanese.

"Ling Xiao Yu pleased to meet you."

"You're not Japanese." She said, but not nastily. "You a transfer student?" 

"Please, slow down. I'm not that fluent yet." 

"Oh, sure…" and she repeated herself more slowly. Xiao shook her head and shrugged.

"Not exactly, it's a long story."  

"You had the grand tour yet? I could show you if you like?" Xiao was amazed at how friendly this girl was, she didn't think _she'd_ be _that_ nice to a stranger. People were strange; she figured and took her company gratefully. 

"Oh, no. But Kazama is going to show me around at Lunch." Miharu opened her mouth to speak but shut it again; obviously surprised about _something_. 

"Kazama, you mean Kazama _Jin_?" 

"Yeah," Xiao said awkwardly. What was so wrong with that?

"You know him personally?" she asked, leaning her chair forwards, more intrigued by this fact.

"Yeah, I'm staying at the Mishima Residence while I'm in Japan." Miharu yelped as her chair leaned too far and sat back down firmly. 

"You _live_ with Kazama Jin? Wow! You're going to be on someone's best friend list or death list." She giggled. Xiao looked confused, she hadn't understood half the sentence and she didn't get what was so strange. Miharu noticed the frown on Xiao's face and apologised before repeating herself more clearly and explaining her reaction. "You have noticed him right? He has girls falling about him left right and centre. And because he doesn't take notice it makes him all the more appealing. He's a mystery. People are going to either love you 'cause you can tell them the gossip of living with him or hate you because you know what no one else does." Miharu said and clapped her hands gleefully. Xiao shook her head and laughed. That was an interesting fact. 

"Do you talk to him much?" Xiao asked.

"A little, he knows I exist." Miharu confirmed. "But don't worry; I can refrain from turning into a puddle of mush when he's around. Grew out of that crush years ago." Both of them laughed and Xiao finally felt herself relax. 

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all…


	5. Doubts

Two months and a half had passed since Ling Xiao Yu had arrived in Tokyo, two and a half months since she'd left home. Two weeks and one day till the Tournament, the tournament and Jin's birthday. Xiao had been enrolled into Mishima High. She could speak fluent Japanese now and she had even been allowed to take Panda with her to school. Heihachi had insisted that Panda be trained as a bodyguard for Xiao as Kuma had been for him. It hadn't seemed like a bad idea so Xiao had agreed as had Panda. Xiao had found an unlikely friend in Jin. He had been distant at first, absorbed in his training and studies. But she had been able to prise the youth out of him into the open.    
  
Presently, Xiao was having a bad day. No surprise seeing as it was Tuesday, and they were always bad days. Two maths lessons in one day, that was too much for any teenager to take especially back to back. Xiao walked out of the building tiredly, with Panda dragging her feet slowly at her side. Xiao sighed, relieved that the day was done and as she turned the corner of the building she heard a voice shout her name.   
  
"Xiao Yu! Hey Xiao! Wait up!" Miharu said and ran breathlessly towards her, clutching a stack of books to her chest.   
"Oh hey Miharu, sorry. I thought you'd gone on ahead" she replied   
"No, I got held up, had to give in my assignment in to Nishida-sensei"   
"Ok." Xiao didn't address the issue any further and continued to walk down staring emptily at her plaid school skirt as she did. The week before she'd stumbled across one of Jin and Heihachi's private sparring matches. She knew she wasn't supposed to be watching but it'd changed her entire perspective of the tournament. She'd seen Kazama train before, even sparred with him a few times, but never before the way she'd seen him sparring with his grandfather. Heihachi was ruthless and Jin gave back as good as he got. No play sparring or child's play. They fought as if for real. She didn't know if she could cause as much damage. Well.. she knew she could do it, she could physically cause serious damage, but she didn't know if she could bring herself to do it…

  
"What's wrong? You look down." Miharu questioned. Xiao was never this quiet.   
"Nothing, I was just thinking about the tournament. It's going to be tough."   
"Stop worrying about it, you'll do fine. I'll tell you what, after you get home and you've cleaned up gimme a call and we can go into town. You wanted to go right?" Xiao looked at her and smiled. It was a good idea, that way she could look for something Jin might like for his birthday and she could relax a little more. For some reason she felt obliged to get him something. He had been kind to her and been more than comforting in rough times.   
"Yeah, why not, that's a great idea." She replied with a satisfied smile. Her day had been brightened up and she felt suddenly happier.   
  
When she had first enrolled at the school she had found it hard to make friends because of her lacking knowledge of language. But Miharu had befriended her despite that. Over the month they had grown closer and closer and Miharu had become the closest to a best friend Xiao had ever had. Aside from Jin of course… 

Funnily, Miharu supported Xiao's idea of fighting for the theme park. That was good to know that someone didn't think she had a few screws loose, it comforted her.


	6. Competition

The next day was hectic. The participants of the tournament were to arrive. Jin and Xiao had been asked to greet them and escort them from the airport personally. Xiao didn't know why Heihachi wasn't going to go himself but she was quite excited. She was really looking forward to seeing all the contestants. They were taken to the airport by limousine along with a few guards and five more limousines were also taken with them to escort the participants.

"Wow, this isn't this exciting?" Xiao exclaimed. Jin looked at her and smiled.

"Yeah but don't get too excited, you're going to fight some of these people." He said calmly.

"So. I get to see what I'm up against, right?"

"Yeah, guess so." He replied absently.

When they got there they sat and waited at the arrivals department waiting patiently for the participants. One of the guards was stood holding a board with 'Iron fist' written on it. Xiao lounged on one of the chairs with Panda slumped at her feet and it wasn't long before an Asian man approached them. He was Chinese, Xiao noted, and he looked slightly aged but very healthy. His hair was so long it reached the small of his back; he wore it tied back into a ponytail. Xiao looked at him in wonder and grinned girlishly. She recognised him from her martial arts school. Lei Wulong was a well-known policeman in China, he had been nicknamed 'super-cop' it was almost impossible to miss him. She had the pride of telling all her school friends that she had attended and graduated from the same martial arts school as he had. Not only that, but he'd been a good family friend.

"Mr Wulong?" Xiao said to him as he approached. He looked at her and frowned. "Hi! I'm sorry you may not remember me, but you went to the same martial arts school as me! I'm Ling, Ling Xiao Yu." he looked at Xiao and his eyes suddenly brightened.

"Ling? Little Xiao? Well! Look at you; you're all grown up! The last time I saw you, you were this high!" he said and held a hand just above his knee. He smiled and embraced her warmly. "So tell me how have your parents been?" 

Jin looked at the pair rather surprised but smiled and waited patiently as they caught up on old times.

The next half hour was hectic, as most of the remaining participants arrived.         

A famous wrestler that went by the name of 'King' arrived with a crowd of reporters surrounding him. He was given more attention, due to his reputation, by the surrounding media who were covering the arrival of the participants of the Iron Fist Tournament. Paul Phoenix, who had apparently participated in the last tournament, arrived. The man was strange looking; his hair gold in colour was gelled up straight and his face was covered in rough looking stubble. Xiao didn't like him, he kept eyeing Panda distastefully and his manner was very self absorbed. With him was another fighter, despite his Oriental features, when he spoke, he did so with a strong American accent. Unlike his friend, he seemed a little shy but very friendly. Another was a Brazilian man, by the name of Eddy Gordo, so far he seemed to be the most unsociable character that had arrived, ignoring any attention from the media and refraining from saying more than two words to anyone. Julia Chang, a young attractive Native American girl arrived shortly after; she looked like a student. Julia looked a few years older than Ling; she was a nice and polite girl. Though it took time for Julia to understand Xiao's accented English. Then there was Nina Williams, a cold woman despite the warm tones of her golden hair. Xiao didn't even bother to speak to her instead she deliberately ignored her cold icy glare.  

It was nearing noon and all the participants were supposed to have arrived.

"Just one left now and we're home free." Jin said tiredly as he leaned back onto a chair.

"Who?" Xiao asked as she yawned. Jin called a guard over whom in response flicked through a clipboard and showed Jin the remaining contestant to arrive.

"Some guy named, Hwoarang…sounds familiar…." Jin said with a thoughtful expression, "I just can't seem to place it though, oh well, guess we'll find out soon enough" he said.

"There aren't many participants are there?" Xiao said as she leaned over to look at the clipboard. Jin leaned in and whispered in her ear.

"I don't think all of them are here right now. I'm sure there are a few more to come but we're not picking them up here…the remaining participants are unofficial." He said and leant back again. Xiao raised her eyebrows and looked over to him thoughtfully. 

"Unofficial hey? Is that like criminals and _baaad_people?" she asked with a sly grin. Jin laughed and shrugged. 

Twenty more minutes passed and finally the last contestant arrived. Xiao looked at him as he strolled over to the group. In mid step he froze and narrowed his eyes at something…someone…Jin. He put his foot down and Xiao saw his hand clenching on the duffel back he held. A scowl spread across his face and he snarled.

"You!" Jin looked up at him and rolled his eyes upward. Xiao stared at the new comer; he was good looking to say the least. His hair fell down to his neck in a soft coppery fall. He was built muscularly, as were most of the other fighters, though like Jin, he didn't look that much older than Xiao herself. The two men stood and stared at each other in silent fury until Jin broke away ignoring him. He called to a few of the guards and instructed them to lead their 'guests' to the limousines as he did so he called to Xiao and walked to one of the limousines. The new comer walked over to the rest of the participants with the scowl plastered to his face. As they climbed in Xiao looked around and asked.

"What the hell happened there? You could have cut the tension with a knife! I'm quite sure I saw blue sparks in the air!!!" she exclaimed

"_That_ was Hwoarang, a street fighter I came across in Korea. He's here because he wants to 'kick my ass' was the term he used I think."

"Err, why?" she asked, a little puzzled.

"Because I drew him to a fight, and he's never lost before. So I think I may have done some major damage to his pride so to speak" 

"Right…you guys are weird…" Xiao concluded.

"What's so weird about me?" Jin asked defensively.

"Not you personally…. just guys in general…" Xiao grinned.  

"Thanks… that's a real compliment" Jin replied dryly.


	7. red, obnoxious, you drive me mad

Sorry it took so long, thanks to all the new reviewers hope you enjoy the addition.

Most of the participants that had arrived had gone straight to their 'temporary homes' for the next two months or so. Each person had a room in the finest suites of the Mishima Grand hotel, which was situated right beside the arena in which the fights were to take place. Xiao had opted to stay there also so that she might get a chance to meet and get to know her opponents as had Jin. That was what she had told Heihachi-sama… and it had been a bare lie. She wanted to see what she was up against, not to mention she didn't really want the special treatment. He had agreed but Jin had to accompany her. Jin had been more than willing and they found their room's next to each other's.  

The matches were going to start within two weeks the schedules had not yet been circulated and Xiao was eager to know whom she was fighting. Mishima-sama had organised a welcome party in honour of the competitors and from what she'd heard, it was going to be a very big public event. Xiao had dressed in a smart sleeveless green dress, with a square neck and thick straps. It was of no particular elegance; she just didn't want to look too out of place. She wore her hair down, just to look a little more sophisticated and proceeded to the party hall at the arena. When she had entered the hall where the party was being held, Xiao noticed that the room was actually rather crowded considering there hadn't been very many people that had arrived at the airport the day before. Most of them as it turned out were reporters and, city officials, VIP's and special guests invited to judge the matches. Xiao spent most of the party cowering behind Jin, though he didn't seem all too comfortable himself with the glares and confusing comments from the majority of the crowd. Xiao didn't understand what was going on nor did she think it appropriate to ask him. Deciding that she was definitely bored she went to meet some of the participants. The first person she ran into was the copper headed Korean. She looked up at him and smiled nervously. She didn't really think he was the sociable type but she threw caution to the wind and held out her hand. He raised a quizzical eyebrow and took it awkwardly.

"I'm Ling Xiaoyu." She said confidently in Japanese trying to hide her hesitation hoping he would understand. He frowned trying to place what she had just said. Xiao grimaced; talking to some of these people was going to be pretty hard as most of them spoke different languages. He looked thoughtfully at her for a second.

"Do you speak Mandarin?" he asked in fluent speech.

"Bloody hell, how does everyone happen to know how to speak my tongue here?" she muttered to her self only to meet the Korean's unimpressed gaze. She shrugged and nodded, repeating her introduction in Mandarin. "Hwoarang" he said coldly despite the warm look in his eyes. He was evidently bored and desperately needed to talk to someone. "So what's a little girl like you doing in a tournament like this then?" he asked as if he only just noticed her size and apparent age.

"Little girl???" Xiao fumed. Hwoarang raised his hands in his defence and smiled obviously enjoying her discomfort.

"My mistake, madam." He said in an exaggerated politeness. "So anyway, what's in this for you? You in for the money?" he asked as he sat down in a booth. Xiao slumped down opposite him and sighed. There wasn't a chance she was going to tell him her real motives for entering; he'd have laughed in her face.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." She replied. Xiao watched him as he opened his mouth to reply, but was distracted as everyone in the hall hushed suddenly. All the attention was diverted to a small elaborately decorated stage located at the back of the hall. Xiao looked up at the stage and watched intently as Heihachi walked up towards the mic stand. He stood there a moment and looked over the crowd critically before leaning forward to speak.

"I welcome you all to this special event. As I understand it, all of you were fortunate enough to make it through the preliminary fights. That was the first stage, and even though you were able to emerge victorious within those fights, this is the true test. Here we shall see who the best fighter is." He paused a minute. Xiao's eyes had wondered around the room during the speech. The reaction of the competitors were varied, Julia Chang had looked on at Heihachi in disgust and turned away. Xiao held her breath just waiting for her to get up and leave. Her eyes flickered over to Lei Wulong, who was staring at the stage with a cold stony gaze. On the other hand when she looked over to another table situated to the left of the stage she watched intently at the yellow-haired American. Paul Phoenix's eyes had glittered notably as he had listened to Heihachi talk on stage. A smirk had spread across his face as he had continued to listen. Xiao turned away to look at Hwoarang; he was watching the stage with a bored expression on his face. He honestly didn't look like he could be bothered to listen nor did he look as if he cared for what the old man said. Xiao turned her attention back to the stage as Heihachi continued to drone on for another fifteen minutes. She couldn't seem to take in the words he spoke until his voice raised slightly indicating the climax of his speech.

"…this tournament you will be able to realise your true strengths and your true weaknesses. Here you shall discover your Tekken!" he concluded. His final sentence was followed by a loud applause, which Xiao noticed hadn't come from the participants but from the special guests that had been invited. Hwoarang snorted at the conclusion of the speech.

"What a load of bullshit." He said to her. "Where does he get that crap from?" Xiao stared at him slightly amused.

"Old age, they think they get wiser. Not quite sure what the hell he's going on about but he's putting up for me so I'm not complaining." She retaliated.

"You're staying with the old man? Didn't think you'd be up for _that_ kind of shit girl!" he said, the look in his eyes implying the impossible. Xiao gave him a cold stare and stuck her tongue out.

"He a guardian, I'm not old enough to stay by myself here, so I'm here as a ward. It's not so bad to be honest." She explained.

"Hell I agree, the guy's probably the richest man in the world; no doubt it'd be good living with him."

"How do you know how to speak Mandarin?" she asked puzzled. "You're Korean aren't you?"

"Yeah." He said with a grin. "But my master, he taught me when I was a kid. He told me it'd be good for me to learn. Broaden my horizons or something." He said with a distant yet genuine smile. They sat and talked idly about irrelevant topics for a couple of hours till most of the participants had turned in for the night. The only people that were left were the reporters and special guests all crowded around Jin and Heihachi.

"Well then kid, I'm out for tonight. I'll see you around." He said and winked.

Xiao got up and said goodbye briefly before walking towards the stage where Heihachi and Jin were stood. Xiao had been careful not to mention Jin to Hwoarang when they had talked. Despite the Korean's cold off handed nature he was quite friendly at times. Xiao wouldn't be able to get by, by just talking to Jin all the time. Besides, the Korean sometimes brought up some rather interesting arguments. Xiao liked a good argument every now and then and Jin seemed just too civilised to argue with her.

"You should get back to your room, you look tired." Jin suggested. "I'll walk you back." He offered.

"It's ok, I'll be alright. I'll see you tomorrow" Xiao assured him.

"No I really don't think it'd be good for you to walk alone…" he said with a little more emphasis. Xiao looked at him with a frown and finally noticed the desperation in his eyes. He wanted to get away from the crowds hounding him and there was no exit. He was practically begging for help. Xiao smiled and rephrased her answer.

"Well I mean I wouldn't want to bother you… but if it's no trouble, I'd really like that." She said politely. Jin spoke with his grandfather quietly and turned towards Xiao as Heihachi nodded his approval. When they exited the hall Xiao burst out into a fit of giggles.

"Thank you Xiao-chan. All those questions were really starting to irritate me. I can't stand the press; they make you feel so closed down. Claustrophobic." He said. Xiao smiled and linked her arm about his. 

"You're funny Jin-san" she said with a skip in her step.

"All the same, you look tired. We have to go to school tomorrow you know?"

"Yeah yeah. But it sure is a nice evening." She said.

"Yes it is…"


End file.
